Child Protective Services
by YogaForever
Summary: They're taking Tails away. Welcome to the real world, Sonic.


**Child Protective Services **

by

_Nana_

What.

The.

_Fuck? _

They were the only words that seemed appropriate. But he didn't say a thing. Couldn't say a thing if he wanted to. He could only stand there, wide-eyed and dry-mouthed. She seemed so huge, standing before him at the front door, toppling over him in suit and glasses. Her dark hair spun into a tight bun atop her head. She stared back at him with a strict conviction.

"What-what are you talking about?" He'd found his voice. "Are you crazy?"

"Sir, I need you to calm down." The woman said in her severe voice. "As I told you, my name is Cynthia Roberts and I am with the-"

"I heard you the first time!" Sonic shouted. He grabbed the doorknob and held the door to his body. Blocking her view of his house. Tails' house. Their house and no one else's. "I just wanna know why the hell you're _here_. What are you going on about?"

"My superiors have found your treatment of Miles Prower inappropriate on a dangerous level. I happen to agree. You're endangering an innocent child, putting his very life at risk, and we're here to put an end to it. Now. We need to see Miles and we need you to sign some papers."

"Like hell I will." Sonic growled. On the inside of the house, his fingernails scraped the door safely out of Roberts' sight. His eyes narrowed - ready to defend himself. "You're not touching him."

Then Sonic stepped back and went to throw the door in the woman's face. But she said something that froze him on the spot.

"Surely, you don't think you're a fit guardian."

He blinked and pulled the door open again, for a moment. He gaped at her like she were a stupid child. He blinked and regarded her with a quietly furious glare. "Lady, I've raised Tails since he was a little kid."

"And what has come of that? He's never step foot into a proper school. He's lived a life of going from one place to another - never knowing where he'd get his next meal or lay his head at night. He's been in peril from day one of knowing you. Do you wish that sort of life on him?" Cynthia stared into his eyes with a cold compassion that was striking and paralyzing. How could she be so heartless and so concerned at once?

Sonic's heart trembled, worried that they'd take Tails away from him.

They - she made it all sound so cruel. Like he was intentionally trying to hurt Tails. Like he didn't care about Tails. It made him want to scream at her and slam the door and question himself and punch something and start crying...all at once. It was a hard feeling, one that knotted his stomach, and made him weak.

"It-it isn't an easy life..." Sonic struggled to find his voice. Struggled to find the perfect words that would make his argument so golden - so fool-proof that she'd have to go and never come back again. "But Tails is used to it. Hell, he likes it. Likes all the adventure and the-"

"Has he told you that?" Cynthia tilted her head just a fraction, like she was addressing a dumb child. But something seemed to thaw in her eyes. She could see the panic so clearly strewn about his eyes and his pale, dry lips. She bent so she could stare into Sonic's hurt eyes. "You're just a child yourself. What are you, Sonic? Only fifteen? Sixteen? Look, I know you've raised Miles for the last seven years, and I know you're quite attached to him. We're not trying to separate you two. We're just trying to give Miles every opportunity to succeed and to be safe that life can offer him."

It was hard to hate a kind enemy. Sonic managed though.

"I am not a kid. I've grown up fast, alright? I can handle this. You just said I've raised him for a real long time, why can't I finish the job?" Sonic snapped, eyes cold with hatred.

Cynthia straightened up, frozen over again. "Because, Sonic," she answered in a scarily calm voice. Like a haunting lullaby. "Technically, by finding Miles alone and never reporting his presence to the police, you kidnaped him. You never adopted him - you just brought him along with you everywhere you went. You are not his legal guardian - just his reckless older friend. You could be arrested for kidnaping, child endangerment and abuse. But we decided to go easy on you. We are going down the route that you didn't know, that you meant no harm, and that we'd let you off easy because you've saved the lives of hundreds. We don't think you're a bad person - we just don't think Miles is safe with you."

A moment of silence passed between them. Sonic standing on the threshold into his house. Tails' house. No one else's. Cynthia stood on the porch, watching him with careful eyes. Waiting for his next move. Out on the street, there was a black car with a man in the passenger seat. Sonic thought it odd, how the bad guys always rode in black. In the background -in the house- the sound of a studio audience laughing sounded in unison with Tails' full-hearted laugh. He was so unaware.

"Now," Cynthia said. "We can go about this the easy way. You can let me in, sit down and read the paperwork I have in my hands. I can talk to Miles and take his statement. You can sign the paperwork and we'll take Miles away with us, where he'll have the chance to cultivate his intelligence and have a hot meal every single night. We can set him up to go to boarding school and you can visit him every day if you so wish. He'll look up to you and respect you for letting him be his own person and not some disciple on your crusade to defeat Robotnik."

The man in the black car checked his watch. The TV hummed in the background. The afternoon sunshine filtered around them, through the trees. Spring was coming soon, the air was already warming up. The studio audience laughed, but Tails didn't find it nearly so humorous.

"Or we can do this the hard way." Said Cynthia. "You can keep us from Miles and make us drag you away from him, kicking and screaming. We can press charges. You'll be ordered by a court to keep far away from Miles, forbidden from ever seeing him again. Which will it be?"

What choice did he have? He hung his head, breaking the long-held eye contact, and released a tiny, resigned sigh.

"Could- could you maybe just give me a moment -alone- with him? I just want..." Sonic's voice cracked. "I just wanna say goodbye to him. Ya think you could give me that?"

Cynthia's eyes softened again. She clutched at the paperwork in hand. This was her last case for the day. She checked her watch and then over her shoulder at Stone in the car. He seemed relaxed. She turned back to Sonic, who was still watching the floor. Tears slipped down his cheeks, silent.

"Sure." She said softly. She touched his shoulder. "Just make it quick. We'll finish this up as painlessly as possible."

"Yeah." And Sonic shut the door slowly, crying openly. He clicked the lock into place carefully and stared into the wood of the door for a second. He took and breath and wiped the tears off his face roughly. He smirked. "Sucker."

Then, quick as a passing shadow, he went around the room, throwing the most important things in his and Tails' backpacks. He put food and supplies away. Unplugged the lamps and took out this month's rent and put it on the kitchen table. He went into the tiny living room and picked things up. At commercial Tails took notice. "What are you doing?" He asked, puzzled.

"You wanna go to school? Like, real school? With Science Fairs and girls and kids and cafeterias and all that shit?" Sonic asked, moving faster to set things right and pack things up.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just answer me. You answer exactly the truth and I'll do whatever you want. Based on your answer. So be honest." Sonic stopped to look into Tails' eyes. It almost scared Tails - how dead serious Sonic looked.

"Honestly?" Tails tilted his head and backed away a bit. He leaned back on his palms and smiled. "Well, honestly, I've thought about it. But every time I think about it - I think I wouldn't leave this life behind for anything. It'd get boring, doing the same things every day. 'Sides, what would I learn in school that I don't already know?"

"Who knows?" Sonic smirked. He threw Tails backpack to him. "Strap your sleeping bag t'that. We're leaving."

"Oh. Why?" Tails did as he was told, keeping pace with Sonic.

"'Cause, we've stayed in Station Square too long. They don't like us much around here." Sonic told him. "And keep your voice down. Okay, you ready to go?"

Tails put his paperbacks into a small box, along with some of his favorite knickknacks - a baseball, a mitt to match and a yoyo- and he nodded. "Ready when you are."

"Then let's get this crap into the Tornado2 and get the hell outta here, bud." Sonic rose up, backpack on and two bags in hand. Under his arm, he had their pillows. Tails nodded. He turned and lead the way into the garage.

Outside, the afternoon was getting ready for bed in the form of a setting sun. Cynthia Roberts yawned, and checked her watch. She'd given him eight minutes. That was certainly enough time to explain what was going on and say goodbyes. She posed her knuckles and rapped the door three times.

Nothing. She squinted her eyes and leaned into to listen through the wood. Silence. She knocked again. Not even a stirring of feet on the floor. No one was coming. Was there anyone -? Her eyes widened and she knocked again. "Hello? Sonic? Miles!?" She called. She put her hand up and slapped the door. "HELLO?"

She took a breath, ready scream, but the sound of an engine roaring to life cut into her voice and silenced her. She gasped and ran down the sidewalk. "Stone!" She yelled to the car. "Stone - they're getting away!"

It sounded ridiculous. But it was true. The garage was opening up and the Tornado2 came glistening into the sunshine. It gained altitude - and fast.

"No! STOP!" Cynthia shouted over and over. But her voice was caught on deaf ears.

Stone came rushing up to her side. They were really getting away. And they could only stare in wonder at the plane rising away from them, becoming smaller and smaller - like a child's kite on a broken string.

**End **


End file.
